


Let Me In

by ravenclawseeker6



Category: Supernatural
Genre: And This is What They Did to Him?!?, Caring Sam Winchester, Cuddling Gabriel/Sam Winchester, Gabriel (Supernatural) is Loki, Gabriel Needs a Hug, Hurt Gabriel (Supernatural), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kentucky Fried Demon needs fried, M/M, Mute Gabriel (Supernatural), My Poor Baby is Finally Back, Past Torture, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 03:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14926484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenclawseeker6/pseuds/ravenclawseeker6
Summary: Dean leaves Sam to fix up Gabriel, but it's not all that simple.





	1. Chapter One

Sam sighed as he watched his brother disappear into the rift, sending a quick prayer to anyone listening for a successful mission. Bracing himself, he turned to look at the broken archangel still cowering on the chair behind him.  
Gabriels eyes darted each way, taking in everything around him. The stitches sealing his lips made Sam want to vomit. He vaguely remembered lore on Loki having his lips sewn before by one of his Nordic brothers, and figured that's where Asmo-douche had gotten the idea. His clothes hung on his frame, the threadbare rags allowing Sam to see many a bruise, and several deep looking cuts on the poor angels body. His body practically vibrated with terror, nothing like the strong Trickster the Winchester brothers had encountered before.  
Sam took a step towards Gabriel, only to stop short as he threw himself off the chair, eyes latched on Sam, whimpering pitifully through sealed lips. Sam quickly backed up, hands raised. "Woah, woah!" he said, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. "It's me, Gabe. Sam? Sam Winchester?"  
The words seemed to have no effect on the angel, who just curled into a tighter ball, wide eyes never leaving Sams face. His chest was rising and falling erratically, eyes wild. "It's okay, it's okay," Sam said soothingly, taking another step towards Gabriel. "I'm not gonna hurt you, I want to help!" Gabriel screwed his eyes shut, a muffled sort of screaming coming from his mouth. Sam hesitated, then placed a hand on Gabriels shoulder. He flinched so hard, he nearly fell, but stayed put, keening. Sams blinked back tears at the sight, and sat next to the once great archangel.  
"I don't know how much of you is in there," he said quietly. Calmly. "But I gotta believe at least a part of you is. We were allies, once. We still are. I want to help you, Gabriel. You gotta let me in, you gotta trust me." Sam sat like that for several minutes, his hand never leaving the trembling mans shoulder. Slowly, Gabriel opened his eyes. They were still scared, terrified even, but Sam also saw a hint of curiosity. Probably wondering why I haven't attacked him yet, Sam thought to himself bitterly.  
"There you are," Sam said quietly, giving the angel a smile. "What do you say we clean you up a bit, huh? Maybe remove those stitches?" Gabriels eyes widened, then he seemed to shrink into himself even more, covering his mouth with his hands. "Okay, okay. Not touching the stitches." Sam didn't understand why Gabriel didn't want him to remove them, but he would respect those wishes for the time being.  
Bit by bit, he got Gabriel to stand. Walking to the showers was slow going, as Gabriel seemed to be favoring his left leg. Without asking, Sam scooped him up bridal style and carried him the last few yards. Gabriel gave a small whimper, but allowed himself to be carried. Setting the too-light angel on the toilet, Sam started the water in the tub.  
Looking at Gabriel, he frowned. "Can you get in the tub yourself, or do you need a hand?" Gabriel looked at Sam without seeing him for a moment, before slowly pulling at his clothes. He tried to lift his shirt over his head, but gave a small cry and hunched over before he could manage. Sam gently took over, easing the broken angel out of first his shirt, then his pants. Gabriel made a few pained noises, but allowed Sam to undress him. Soon, he was shivering in just his underwear, and Sam felt a cold fury at what he saw.  
Every rib was visible, and, from the bruising, at least two were broken. He also had a nasty gash just below his collar bone, and several cuts and burns on his arms and legs. Coupled with the wounds on his face and neck, it wasn't a pretty picure. Gabriel seemed to notice Sams anger, and pulled his knees to his chest. He didn't make a sound, just stared in fear.  
Bracing himself.  
Sam let out a breath, pushing all of his emotions to the side in the patented Winchester way. Briefly closing his eyes, he got himself under control and set himself to the task at hand. "Let's get you in the tub, okay?" Gabriel didn't respond, simply lowered his legs and slowly rose to his feet. Sam guided him into the slightly steaming water, and Gabriel closed his eyes again, this time in bliss. They quickly snapped open again, as Sam started to pour cupfuls of water over his body. Sam was upset that Gabriel didn't fully trust him, but not at all surprised. He knew that the marks on his body only told part of the tale. Gabe had been in Hell for at least eight years. Who knows what he had been subjected to?  
After washing and drying off the angel as best he could, Sam quickly went over the visible injuries, noting that none were life-threatening. Gabriel still seemed afraid, but was docile, allowing his ribs to be wrapped and his cuts disinfected. His left leg looked like it had been broken, and allowed to heal wrong. Hopefully, as his Grace returned it would heal properly. Sam really wanted to remove those damned stitches, but since Gabriel seemed to hyperventilate every time he mentioned them, he decided to leave them be. Finally, Sam guided the angel to a spare room right next to his own.  
Gabriel curled up in the center of the bed, doing his best to appear small. It pained Sam to see him like this. I he had known...  
Shaking himself from his thoughts, he gave Gabriel a small smile. "I'm one room over if you need anything." Gabriels eyes darted to Sam for a moment, then quickly looked away. Taking that as an affirmative, Sam retired to his own room. Looking at the clock, he decided he had a bit of time before he needed to sleep, and pulled out his laptop. He was about to research how to remove old stitches as easily as possible, when a thought struck him.  
Gabriel had had his lips sewn.  
He could have easily snapped the thread... so why didn't he? Sam considered for a moment, then switched gears. Maybe it couldn't be removed? He quickly looked up info on the first time Gabriel, masquerading as Loki, had been subdued in this way. According to the lore, Baldrr had gotten a special thread from a group of dwarves and ambushed his brother. Loki had tried to remove the stitches, but touching them only caused more pain. Reading further, Sam learned that the only way to remove the thread was to cut it with a blade forged by Dwarves.  
That explained why Gabriel didn't want Sam touching them, he mused. He hoped they might have a Dwarven blade in the armory, but he decided it could wait until morning. Sam stripped to his underwear, and crawled under the covers.


	2. Chapter Two

Sam jolted upright, for a moment not knowing what had woken him. As the muffled scream sounded again, he launched out of bed, grabbed his ever-present blade, and ran for Gabriels room.  
"Gabriel?!" He yelled, barging in the room without knocking. There lay the archangel, eyes closed, covered in sweat, tangled in his blankets, screaming through his sewn lips. "Gabriel! No no no, it's okay!" Sam placed the knife on the nightstand, and gently grabbed Gabriels shoulders. "You're okay, it's over, I'm here..." Sam continued to murmur soft reassurances, stroking golden locks out of Gabriels flushed face, watching as his eyes popped open and took in everything around him. He continued to tremble, though the screams had turned to whimpers. Tears slowly traced their way down his face, and he stared at Sam without truly seeing him.  
"Gabe?"   
Gabriel flinched at Sams soft voice, but Sam noticed he seemed to lean into Sams touch. Sam smiled, gently wiping the tears away. "You're okay, I promise. It was a dream." Gradually, Gabriels breathing slowed, whiskey colored eyes never leaving hazel. He finally relaxed into his pillow, and Sam pulled away. "Better?" Gabriel hesitated, then gave a tiny nod. Sam grinned, then frowned down at his watch. "It's morning, might as well get up."  
Gabriel almost seemed to pout as Sam stood, fear still present but on the back burner. They both jumped as a low growling came from Gabriels stomach, and Sam let out a small chuckle. "I guess with your Grace so depleted, you're practically human. Let's get those stitches out- I know, I know," he said hurriedly, seeing Gabriel go to cover his lips. "I think we have a Dwarven blade in the armory. Anyways, let's get those out, then see about finding something to eat. Sound good?"  
Gabriels leg seemed to be bothering him more than last night, so Sam gently carried him to the armory. Setting him down on a pluch chair, Sam turned to peruse the walls. A small grunt from Gabriel had him turning back to see the angel pointing at a bronze hunting knife hanging above one of the desks. Gabriel had a scared yet hopeful look on his face, his earlier tremble barely there. Sam thanked him, and retrieved the blade. It was a simple knife, though it had several barely-there symbols traced into the hilt that Sam didn't know.   
He fetched a bowl of water, a few rags, and some antiseptic. Seeing Gabriels trepidation, he patiently explained that the damp rags would help soften the stitches, and should help them pull out easier. Gabriel sat as still as he could while Sam pressed the warm wet cloth against his lips, only wincing slightly. After a few minutes, Sam picked up the blade and looked Gabriel in the eyes.  
"This... Probably isn't going to feel all that great," he said truthfully. The stitches had been in there who knows how long, and skin had grown over the threads in some places. Thankfully they didn't look infected, which was a small mercy in the face of everything else. Gabriel took a breath through his nose, closing his eyes. When they reopened, Sam was surprised to see a steely resolve in them, the fear pushed back. Sam flashed him a quick smile, then set to work. Sliding the edge of the knife under each stitch required a very steady hand, and total concentration. He gently shushed Gabriel every time he flinched, and apologized the one time he nicked his bottom lip. The threads fially cut, he gently used a pair of tweezers to pull each piece out. They bled a little, and fought to stay, but in the end there was a small pile of stitching on the table and none in Gabriels face.  
"Feel better?" Sam asked, watching Gabriel traced his fingers over his newly freed lips. A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, and he nodded. "Still not talking, huh?" Gabriel frowned, then gave a small shrug. Sam knew it would probably be a while before he spoke again, be it by choice or not. He already looked a million times better, even though he was still covered in bruises.  
Half an hour later found Sam and Gabriel sitting at the kitchen table together, a bowl of porridge before each of them. Sam had added an (in his opinion, at least) obsene amount of sugar and butter to the angels food, remembering how fond he was of sweets. Eating was slow going, and his lips kept cracking open and bleeding, but he was almost able to finish the entire bowl. Gabe still hadn't said a word, but he seemed to be more at ease. Every noise made him jump, and if Sam moved too quickly he would flinch away, but he was making progress and Sam would take what he could get.   
Having Gabriel back was... Incredible. The first few years after Gabriel had been killed by Lucifer, Sam kept waiting for his return. Waiting for something outlandish, like hookers in the bunker, or half eaten lollipops filling the impala. There were times when he thought, this is it! He's back! The suicidal teddy bear, for instance. Or the imaginary friends. Every time, though, he was let down.  
Every. Damn. Time.  
Even now, seeing him sitting across the table, it was surreal. He would never wish what Gabriel had gone through on anyone (except maybe Lucifer... and Asmodeus), but he was thankful that he was back. He had given up, and been proven wrong.  
If he had known? If there was even the slightest hint that Gabriel was down there? Sam would have went after him, with or without Dean. Gabriel was... Special. He was family, as much as Cas. Sure, he put Sam through Neverending Tuesdays, and Sam still broke out in a sweat every time that cursed song came on the radio, but he had his reasons.  
Sam had forgiven him a long time ago.   
Looking at the broken, beaten archangel before him, Sam pulled out his phone. He had waited long enough.  
Time to call Cas.


End file.
